Recent Events & Activities

Wednesday, April 18, 2018

Are Arbitration Clauses in Commercial Contracts Still Helpful?

Arbitration clauses have become the norm in commercial contracts. This CLE seminar, co-presented by an experienced business lawyer and an experienced litigator, will explore the pros and cons of continuing to use arbitration clauses in commercial contracts. The presenters will address when arbitration may be beneficial to a business, and explore when dispensing with arbitration and instead using the courts, can be to your advantage.

Who should attend: anyone who is responsible for drafting or reviewing business contracts or who is responsible for handling cases in litigation or arbitration.

Why attend? Earn 1 hour of WSBA CLE credit while enjoying a free lunch and gain valuable insight from experienced presenters who have handled arbitration clauses – from drafting the contracts through hearings, and collections on awards.

Wednesday, May 9, 2018

Performance Evaluations, Disciplinary Action & Termination WebinarPresented by the Association of Washington Business

Employee reviews and evaluations should be valuable to both the employer and its employees. However, providing a meaningful evaluation is not as easy as it may seem. If the time comes to discipline an employee, or sever an employment relationship, a myriad of issues may present themselves which can be traps for the unwary. Failing to follow established procedures or consider certain risks could expose an employer to time consuming and costly litigation. This presentation will highlight some best practices for employers with employee reviews and disciplinary actions, and suggest considerations and steps to take when it’s time to let go.

Wednesday, March 22, 2017

The workforce is changing as boomers retire, Gen Xs solidify their leadership roles and millennials & Gen Zs enter the workforce at historic levels and begin to take on greater responsibilities in the workplace. What does that mean for your workplace? AWB Institute’s first-ever Workforce Summit will give participants – business owners, leaders and human resources professionals – the tools they need to harness talent and leadership skills within a multi-generational workplace. Keynote speaker Rebecca Ryan, economist and futurist, will share how to plan ahead to fill workforce needs and better serve employees and their communities.

Complimentary Webinar: How to Prepare for the H-1B Lottery
WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 25, 2017
NOON-1:00PM (PACIFIC)

The H-1B visa classification is for temporary employment of foreign professionals in specialty occupations requiring a Bachelor’s degree or equivalent in a specialty field. For employers who wish to hire foreign national professionals in 2017, H-1B petitions subject to the annual quota or cap must be filed by April 3, 2017 with U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (“USCIS”). Last year, USCIS received over 230,000 H-1B cap-subject petitions for the available 85,000 H-1B visas.

Based on the high demand for H-1B visas last year and the improved economy with more hiring taking place this year, it is likely the statutory quota will again be exceeded soon after the filing period opens. Employers who want to hire foreign nationals subject to the statutory quota should consult with immigration counsel as soon as possible to start preparing their H-1B cap petition filings.

Cyber attacks are becoming a more frequent occurrence, with the potential to cause severe disruption to your business operations. Not being prepared for an attack can impact your reputation and compromise sensitive customer data and intellectual property.

In this session, Teru Olsen and Andrew Healey provided an overview of what you “need to know” to protect your organization from a cyber-attack:

How to prepare and respond if you do get attacked

How to select a cyber security professional as a part of your incident response plan

How to conduct a threat assessment and change software protocols

New state data breach notification laws, and what you need to know when utilizing the attorney-client privilege after a breach

CYBERSECURITY: THE NEW BUSINESS PRIORITY

March 24, 2016

Ryan Swanson attorney, Teru Olsen, spoke at the CEOtoCEO Breakfast, along with Dick Lake, Director of Security at the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, about cybersecurity and what a company can do to have a “plan in place” for a cyber-attack. Cyber-attacks are becoming a more frequent occurrence and have the potential to cause severe disruption in business operations. Teru advised the attendees on how to navigate the complexities of a cyber-attack.

WBO Speed Mentoring with 2015 Nellie Cashman Award Finalists

September 15, 2015

Hosted at Ryan Swanson
1201 Third Avenue, Suite 3400
5-7:30pm

Ryan Swanson attorney Susan Fox is the co-chair of the 2015 Women Business Owners (“WBO”) Nellie Cashman Award and on September 15, Ryan Swanson is partnering with WBO in hosting a speed mentoring event for women in business to have intimate discussions on lessons learned and key success factors from #NellieCashman2015 candidates, former Nellie winners and finalists. The event is open to non-members and members of WBO, and will be a great learning and networking opportunity.

September 9, 2015

On July 16, 2015, the Washington State Supreme Court decided that employers of “piece rate” workers must pay those workers an additional amount for the two ten-minute rest breaks required in an eight-hour work day. Although the case (Demetrio v. Sakuma Bros. Farms, Inc.) involved a regulation applied to piece rate farm workers, an identical regulation applies to auto dealer employees and service technicians who are paid by the job on a “flat rate” or “flag rate.”

The Court held that the employer must pay the piece rate employees for the rest break time at their regular rate of pay. The regular rate of pay is determined by dividing the total compensation for the pay period by the number of hours actually worked during that pay period (not including the rest breaks). The Court did not decide whether this new rule will be applied retroactively.

January 28th, 2015

For those employers who in 2015 may need foreign workers with college degrees or the equivalent, the “H-1B” petitions need to be filed by April 1, 2015 with the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service. Last year less than 60% of the petitions were selected and approved by the USCIS. This “lunch & learn” webinar provided employers with helpful tips to create the best chance to have a petition accepted, while reducing attorneys’ fees at the same time.

November 18th, 2014

2014 Peterson Sullivan Auto Seminar

Speaker: Richard P. Lentini presented a session on employment law at the Peterson Sullivan seminar for dealers/owners, CEOs, CFOs, office managers, accounting managers, and other financial professionals in the automobile industry.

November 18th, 2014

Title Law From Start to Finish

Speaker: Jerry Kindinger presented “Overview of Title Insurance Claims and Litigation” at the National Business Institute seminar.

September 24, 2014

Ryan Swanson’s 26th Annual Employment Law Seminar

Ryan Swanson’s 26th Annual Employment Law Update seminar, addressing current and emerging issues in the workplace, from developments in healthcare law to recent trends and workplace challenges. For more information, visit our 26th Annual Seminar page.

April 23, 2014

CougsFirst! Trade Show

The second annual CougsFirst! trade show is a free event open to Washington State University alumni and friends. The event showcases Cougar owned, managed and affiliated businesses, products and services. For more information, visit www.cougsfirst.org.

April 7, 2014

Best-selling author Michael Lewis visited Seattle and discussed his new book, Flash Boys, while being interviewed by his former Outward Bound instructor and Ryan Swanson securities litigator, Roger Mellem.